~ After 20 days and more than 45,000 votes cast, the 2025 Panam Sports Junior Awards have selected the best athletes on the continent. The winners will receive their well-deserved recognition at the next Panam Sports General Assembly to be held in the first half of 2026.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 23.12.2025) :: The suspense is finally over. After more than two weeks of voting on our website, the 2025 Panam Sports Junior Awards election finally came to an end this Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
"We are very happy and proud of the excellent response and participation of the people in these Panam Sports Junior Awards, who chose the best junior athletes of 2025. I congratulate the deserving winners, but also all those who were nominated in each of the categories. They are all winners and deserve our respect and admiration," said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.
In total, more than 45,000 votes were cast, and the results of the winners were as follows.
BEST JUNIOR MALE ATHLETE
Roberto Bonilla
Sport: Swimming
Country: Guatemala
Percentage: 23.09% of the votes
The Guatemalan swimmer won two gold medals at ASU 2025: in the 200-meter breaststroke and in the 200-meter individual medley. His excellent performance also allowed him to break the Junior Pan American Games record twice, setting a new record of 2:12.60 in the 200-meter breaststroke and qualifying for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.
BEST JUNIOR FEMALE ATHLETE
Jessica Palacios
Sport: Weightlifting
Country: Ecuador
Percentage: 24.16% of the votes
The youngest of the three Dajomes-Palacios sisters in Ecuadorian weightlifting, Jessica shone at ASU2025, winning the gold medal with two new Junior Pan American Games records: 100kg in the snatch and 222kg in the Olympic total. A medal, a record, and qualification for Lima 2027 for one of the most promising figures in Ecuadorian sport.
BEST MEN'S TEAM
Brazil
Sport: Handball
Percentage: 34.80% of votes
Team Brazil was the lord and master of handball at ASU2025. With a perfect campaign in which they won all their matches, they took the gold medal after beating Mexico, Chile, the United States, and Paraguay in decisive fashion, and defeating Argentina in the grand final by a narrow 29-27. Gold and absolute supremacy for the Brazilian handball team.
BEST WOMEN'S TEAM
Jamaica
Sport: Athletics 4x100m relay
Percentage: 24.10% of the votes
Jamaica's women's 4x100m relay team lived up to its status as favorite at the ASU 2025 Pan American Games. Led by Team Panam Sports ambassador and U20 world champion Alana Reid, they took first place and the gold medal with a time of 43 seconds and 51 hundredths, a new Pan American Junior Games record.
SPORTS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Mía and Lía Cueva
Sport: Diving
Country: Mexico
Percentage: 21.40% of the votes
After their outstanding performance at the adult world championships in Singapore, where they won the bronze medal in the 3m synchronized springboard event, the Cuevas twins did not hesitate, despite their fatigue and the long hours of flying, to travel to Asunción to represent their country at the Junior Pan American Games. In an outstanding performance, they showed why they are adult world medalists, winning the gold medal in the 3m synchronized springboard and qualifying for Lima 2027.
INFLUENCER ATHLETE AWARD
Valeria Páez
Sport: Athletics
Country: Mexico
Percentage: 53.35% of votes
The Mexican heptathlete, who finished fifth in the Pan American Games, shared her ASU 2025 experience on her social media accounts, achieving great interaction with her more than 330,000 followers. Her competition, the effort behind her achievements, and even the presentation of all of Mexico's uniforms were some of her posts that even reached millions of likes.
FAIR PLAY AWARD
Gladymar Torres
Sport: Athletics
Country: Puerto Rico
Percentage: 51.97% of the votes
In the women's 100-meter dash final at ASU2025, third place was only decided by a photo finish. Frances Colón of Puerto Rico and Serena Cole of Jamaica finished practically neck and neck. While waiting for the official results on the track, Gladymar Torres, also from Puerto Rico and who finished in 5th place, approached her teammate and, once the official result was published giving the bronze medal to Frances Colón, hugged her as if it were her own victory. This was a clear example of fair play among teammates, celebrating an achievement that went viral and earned the admiration of everyone at the Pan American Junior Games.
The president of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic, its honorable Executive Committee, and the entire Pan American family congratulate the winners of the 2025 Panam Sports Awards and all the athletes who were nominated, and thank the thousands of Olympic sports fans and followers who participated in this vote through our platforms.
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